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Flavor Components in Beer

Descriptor Category Chemical Name Styles Acceptable Causes


Goat hair, candle wax, soapy Acid Octanoic acid (Caprylic) Long-matured lagers Process and Ingredients: Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), wild yeast (Brettanomyces). Released into
beer from autolysis during maturation.
Stale cheese, sweaty socks, Acid 3-Methylbutanoic acid IPA Process and Ingredients: Isomerized hop alpha acids, wild yeast
locker room (Isovaleric acid)
Vinegar, spoiled beer Acid Acetic acid (Vinegar) American Brett, American Bacteria: Acetobacter (aerobic bacteria)
Sour, Belgian-Style Lambic/
Gueuze and Flanders
Vomit Acid Butyric acid N/A Bacteria: Clostridium butyricum
Yogurt, sauerkraut, sour milk Acid Lactobacillus (Lactic acid) Belgian-Style Wit, Saison, Bacteria: Can be added intentionally or the result of contamination.
Lambic, Flanders, American
Sour, Barrel-Aged Beer
Granny Smith apples, Jolly Carbonyl Acetaldehyde (Green American lagers, French-Style Process and Ingredients: Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), bacteria (Zymomonas), high fermentation
Rancher, latex paint, black compound beer) Biere de Garde temperatures, over-pitching, under-aeration
olives, fresh-cut pumpkin
Banana, pear drops Ester Isoamyl Acetate German-style wheat beers Ingredients: Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces pastorianus). Disappears with age.
Pear drops (smaller Ester Ethyl Acetate Ales especially strong ales Ingredients: Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) or wild yeast. Stems from acetic acid.
concentration), nail polish
remover (higher concentration)
Red apple, anise seed, fennel Ester Ethyl Hexanoate Varies Process and Ingredients: Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Caused by poor handling, produced by yeast
during fermentation.
Tinned pineapple, mango, Ester Ethyl Butyrate N/A Ingredients: Hops, yeast
papaya
Blackcurrant juice, tomcat Flavor p-menthane-8-thiol-3-one Some highly aromatic Ingredients: Hops (Simcoe hops are one example that displays these characteristics)
urine Component (Catty) hopped beers
Antiseptic, mouthwash, Phenol 2,6-Dichlorophenol N/A Contamination of brewing or water or packaging or contact with chlorinated water. Reaction of chlorine-
chlorine (Chlorophenol) based sanitizer (bleach) with phenol compounds.
Barn, mice Phenol 4-Ethylphenol Wild beers Ingredients: Wild yeast (Brettanomyces)
Clove, nutmeg, allspice Phenol 4-Vinyl guaiacol (Phenolic, German-Style Wheat beers Ingredients: Low levels from wort production, high levels from yeast or wild yeast contamination.
also called 4-VG)
Electrical short, inky Phenol Bromophenols N/A Packaging materials
Felt and sandpaper sensations Phenol Polyphenols/Tannins Barrel-Aged beers, spiced or Process and Ingredients: Comes from wood aging, malt husks and hops. Oxidation of phenols can
in mouthfeel. High levels of (Astringent) highly hopped beers contribute to darker beer color.
astringency.
Smoky, meat Phenol 4-Ethylguaiacol American Brett beers Ingredients: Wild yeast (Brettanomyces). Described as smokey and produces the characteristic Brett
flavor.
Salt Sodium Sodium chloride (Table Varies Magnesium sulfate (Epsom) breaks down into Magnesium chloride, increasing bitter, Calcium sulfate
salt), Magnesium sulfate (Gypsum) causes beer to be very dry.
(Epsom), Calcium sulfate
(Gypsum)
Descriptor Category Chemical Name Styles Acceptable Causes
Boiled or rotten eggs, Burton Sulfur Hydrogen sulfide (Sulfitic) Varies. Some German-style Process and Ingredients: Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces pastorianus), bacteria. Results
snatch, burnt match lagers and English-style ales from metabolism of the amino acids methionine and cysteine during fermentation and maturation.
(Burton Snatch) Scrubbed by CO2, so volatilizes off quickly.
Cooked corn, tomato sauce, Sulfur Dimethyl Sulphide Some pale lagers Process and Ingredients: Malt germination, bacteria. Volatilizes off during boil. More common to
celery, parsnip, shellfish, (DMS) 6-row barley and paler malts. Vigorous, quick cooling and/or CO2 scrubbing during fermentation
oysters helps to minimize.
Drains, rotting garbage, Sulfur Methanethiol (Mercaptan) N/A Process and Ingredients: Yeast, bacteria, dry hopping. From yeast: caused by autolysis at end of
rotting vegetables fermentation or during maturation.
Skunk, freshly-brewed coffee Sulfur 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol N/A Packaging and Storage: Photochemical reaction of isomerized hop alpha acids with fluorescent or
sunlight. Specifically: photolysis of the alpha acid side chain.
Berries Taint B-Damascenone N/A Breakdown of precursors from hops; increases during aging.
Corked wine, damp cellar, Taint 2, 4, 6-Tricholoroanisole N/A Packaging and Storage: Recycled wood/cardboard. Can migrate across packaging materials to
indoor pool (TCA) contaminate raw materials, filter aids and beer. Beers that have cork closures are susceptible. A
chemical compound that is a chlorinated derivative of anisole.
Fecal Taint Enterobacter N/A Bacteria
Germinating malt Taint Isobutyraldehyde (Grainy) Common in low or near-beer Process and Ingredients: Pale malt, brewhouse procedures
Ink, blood-like Taint Ferrous sulphate (Metallic) N/A Process and Ingredients: Brewing materials, corrosion. Can be caused by liquid oxidation.
Jasmine and fecal combined, Taint Indole N/A Bacteria: Coliform
pigs on farm
Leather, dry hay Taint Isobutylquinoline N/A Packaging and Storage: Forms from precursors present prior to storage.
(Leathery)
Paper, wet cardboard Taint E-2-Nonenal (Oxidized) English-style Old Ale, some Packaging and Storing: Oxidation. Formed in malt and wort production, where it binds to malt proteins.
barrel-aged beers Released during storage.
Salami, old meat, burnt Taint Autolysis Some bottle-conditioned Process and Ingredients, or Packaging and Storing: Stressed yeast or over-aged beer that contained
rubber, sulfur, rancid, reduced beer (at low levels) yeast sediment.
head retention and increased
carbonation
Sugar beets, damp soil Taint Geosmin N/A Contaminated brewing liquor
Vanilla ice cream, custard Taint Vanillin Wood and barrel-aged beers Process and Ingredients, Packaging and Storage: Aging, wild yeast, storage. Comes from aging on
wood, addition of flavor essence, wild yeast contamination or breakdown of phenolic compounds during
storage. Charring of oak barrels breaks down lignins into phenolic aldehyde (vanillin)
Butter, buttered popcorn Vicinal 2,3-Butanedione (Diacetyl) Ales, stouts, Bohemian Ingredients: Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), bacteria (Pediococcus). Leaks out of yeast cells during
Diketone pilsener fermentation, but yeast scavenge and remove later in fermentation. Ensures proper fermentation time.
Some lagers go through a diacetyl rest at 65 F for two days.
Honey, butter, caramel Vicinal 2, 3 Pentanedione (Honey) N/A Packaging and Storing: Oxidation. Hard to detect because of high flavor threshold.
Diketone
Some of this information was sourced from Aroxa, Siebel Institute and FlavorActiv.

CraftBeer.com
Download at (http://www.CraftBeer.com/Culinary) Presented by the Brewers Association
March 2016

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